


Comfort in Sound

by turps



Category: Bandom, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-19
Updated: 2015-02-19
Packaged: 2018-03-13 18:40:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3392105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turps/pseuds/turps
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>3. Frank/Gerard, jewel thief/art thief AU<br/>Mikey/Pete, Pete having [psychic power(s)] is really, really annoying</p>
            </blockquote>





	Comfort in Sound

\

Pete’s wearing a black hoodie, one that’s at least two sizes too big. With the hood up and sleeves completely covering his hands it looks like he’s hiding: and maybe he is. Despite the explanations and demonstrations, despite running as a crew for so long, Gerard still isn’t sure of Pete’s thing.

“My thing is beautiful,” Pete says then, his eyes gleaming from within the shadowy recess of his hood. “I can show you if you want, or ask Mikey. He’s seen it.”

“No one wants to see your thing,” Ray cuts in, as if there’s even a chance Gerard was about to say yes. Which he wasn’t. There’s no need to, Gerard’s already seen it enough.

“Ah, but it wasn’t a real look,” Pete says, and starts grinning with all those many many white teeth. “You only caught a glimpse, it’s more impressive than that.”

“What's more impressive?” Mikey asks, causing the van to tilt briefly as he climbs inside and squashes onto the bench seat between Pete and Gerard. “Did you get me a coffee?”

“My thing, and yes,” Pete says, handing an extra large takeout cup to Mikey. “It’s got a foam heart under the lid, Gerard asked for it. I think it’s a symbol of our everlasting and destined by fate love.”

“Gerard’s love for you?” Mikey asks, sounding interested as he glances at Gerard before taking a long drink of coffee. Putting down the cup he wipes at his mouth and adds, “Pete’s thing _is_ more impressive. He’ll show you sometime.”

“No he won’t.” Ray turns in his seat and takes a deep breath before letting it out slowly. “No one want’s to see Pete’s thing. Pete’s thing isn’t an issue today, and you need to stop focussing in.”

The last is addressed to Pete, who shrugs and pulls down his hood, blinking as his eyes are exposed to the light. “I couldn’t help it, Gerard was thinking too hard.”

“Gerard always thinks too hard, it’s what he does,” Ray says, and reaches behind him, pointedly tapping one of the monitors that line the van’s side. “We’ve got ten minutes before the galley shuts for the day. We should be discussing the plan, not Pete’s penis.”

“We sit here drinking coffee, Pete focuses in on the guards, you, Frank, and Gerard break in and get the goods, we know the plan,” Mikey says, and then, “And who’s discussing Pete’s penis?” 

“You were, Gerard was.” Ray’s voice rises in pitch, echoing a little as he stresses, “Pete was.”

“I was talking about my _thing_ ,” Pete says, dignified, as if he’s never before mentioned the word ‘penis’. Which, for all that Pete loves to talk about his sex life, is actually true due to Pete’s love of pet names like pleasure stick, or love sword, or... “Hot thrust rocket machine, I like saying that, too.”

“He does,” Mikey agrees, and yet again Gerard has to wonder if Pete’s powers are catching. 

“Nope, still only me with the freaky-deaky stuff,” Pete says, waving his hands in what Gerard has to assume is some kind of psychic powers visualisation, or else a spider doing a jig. “But I’ll keep trying to contaminate Mikey. I’m thinking swapping bodily fluids remains our best bet.”

“All your bodily fluids tested normal, swapping them won’t work,” Ray says, and as always, Gerard is impressed how Ray continually tries to reign in Pete’s ideas with facts. “Now the plan.”

Pete sighs, loud and long suffering, then says, “Fine.” His pupils blowing wide, Pete’s eyes darken as Mikey rests his hand on Pete’s leg, the pressure there as an anchor as Pete reaches out mentally, focussing in on the guards inside of the gallery. “There’s still four guards, one’s watching TV at the back of the building, two are checking displays and one’s talking to Frank. She’s thinks he’s cute but still wishes he’d go so they can start shutting up for the night.”

“Has he planted the jammer?” Ray asks, turning to look out of the rear window, as if somehow he’d be able to see Frank through the stone walls of the building. “And in the place that we said?”

“Yes and yes,” Pete says, and despite the way he’s started to tremble, he smiles and then laughs. “He’s felt me and is flipping you off, saying he knows how to do his job.”

“You can see that?” Ray asks, interest there in the way he leans toward Pete. “I thought you couldn’t see physical things, just thoughts?”

“I can see Frank’s thoughts, and he’s flipping you off,” Pete says and puts his hand over Mikey’s, holding on tight. “He’s about to come out.”

“Break off now.” Mikey’s voice is even, his tone light, something Pete can grab onto when his focus is scattered and thrown outwards. “We’ve got all we need for now.”

“We have,” Gerard agrees, waiting until he’s sure Pete is okay. “Drink and rest up, a few hours and we go in.”

“Time for a nap, then.” Pete pulls up his hood once again, his hands tucked into his sleeves as he curls against Mikey. “Wake me up when it’s time.”

“I will,” Gerard says, aware that for Pete, napping means trying to switch off mentally and nothing about sleep. “I’ll try not to think too hard.”

“You always think too hard,” Pete pulls his knees so he’s tucked up small and compact. Before closing his eyes he winks and says, “That person in your spank bank, you know, the one with hair like your mom and tattoos like Frank? That’s fucking hot.”

“Gerard gets off to a mom and Frank hybrid?” Mikey asks, and looks searchingly at Gerard. “That’s not his usual tastes.”

“A mom and Frank hybrid pissing on him,” Pete says, and Gerard has to stop this right now.

“The hair isn’t like mom’s, if anything it’s like Mikey’s from a while back, you know, when it was all blond and messy and shit,” Gerard says, and then stops talking, really there’s no point, not when Pete’s cracking up and Ray’s pointedly turned back to his computers

Which is fine, Gerard doesn’t care, especially when all Mikey does is hold his cup of coffee toward Gerard in salute and say, “Nice choice.”

_______

“Stop fussing, I’m fine,” Frank says, his hand held up to stop Gerard getting close. “You don’t need to look again. My side’s fine. No guts are falling out, it’s just a skin slice.”

“From a laser.” Which, if you’re going to get caught by a glancing blow, is one of the best weapons. Gerard knows that, he knows all about the science of sealed skin and that Ray’s already applied antiseptic gel and painkillers, it’s just. It’s just, this is _Frank_ , and no matter how much Gerard rationally knows Frank will be fine, he still worries.

“I should have done better,” Pete says. He’s sprawled on the bench seat, still too pale and trembling as Mikey runs his fingers through Pete’s sweat-soaked hair. “I lost focus.”

“No you didn’t.” Mikey stills his hand so it’s resting against Pete’s face, cupping his jawbone and cheek. “We didn’t know about the extra guards. You couldn’t cover them all.”

Pete shakes his head, his expression blank. “I should have tried harder. If I had….”

“You’d have burnt yourself out,” Gerard says, and that’s something that can’t happen again, seeing Pete empty and lost once was enough. “This wasn’t your fuck-up.” 

“It wasn’t yours either,” Mikey says, his attention going from Pete to Gerard. “We all checked the plans, those extra guards weren’t supposed to be there.”

“But they were.” Gerard wants to yell and scream and curse. Instead all he can do is sit trapped in this van as they flee, Gerard’s fists clenched as he tries to cope with the memories that press close, bright and jagged and blinding. Yelling, the burst of -- danger, danger, danger! -- mentally sent out by Pete, Ray’s triumphant expression fading as the unexpected guards ran into the room, their weapons ready and charged. Frank going down, his yelled distraction giving the seconds they needed to grab the stone and run.

“It was my decision to distract them,” Frank says, wincing slightly as he half-stands, remaining hunched over as he moves to the empty seat next to Gerard. “You couldn’t have stopped me.”

Which is true, but still, Gerard has to say, “I’d have tried.”

“And you’d have ended up being shot, too,” Frank says, swinging around in his seat so he can touch Gerard’s knee. “I did what needed to be done. I got winged, big deal. We got the stone, that’s all that matters.”

“I suppose,” Gerard allows, and for the first time it feels like he can breathe easy, when Frank’s sitting upright and the stone that they needed is safely hidden away. “It’s just….”

“Just nothing,” Frank says, cutting off Gerard. “I’m safe, we’re safe, the stone’s safe and soon it’s going to get us a shit-load of money and info. So stop with the guilt or I’ll be sleeping with Ray tonight.”

“Like hell you will.” From the driving seat Ray turns for a moment, just enough to show that he’s frowning. “I’ve plans for tonight and they don’t include you.”

“He does,” Pete says, and for the first time this drive, attempts a small smile. “Good plans, sexy plans, getting jiggy with his tablet and Krista type plans.”

“Yeah?” Mikey says, ignoring Ray’s sound of protest. “Tell her hi, and have fun.”

Ray doesn’t look back as he says, “I intend to, and you need to keep Pete out of my head, tonight’s not about threesomes.”

“Foursomes,” Pete corrects, his smile widening a little. “I like to tell Mikey what’s going on.”

“Of course you do,” Ray says, and Gerard sympathizes, all too aware of Pete’s oversharing ways. Not that Gerard cares at the moment, he can’t when, at last, Pete’s starting to look better, colour back in his cheeks and the haunted expression fading away.

“Hey Mikey.” His voice lowered a little, Pete pushes himself up, looking far too pleased with himself as he says, “Gerard doesn’t care about me focussing in and sharing tonight. You, me, Frank and your bro, good times for all.”

“Yeah, no,” Frank says, his eyes narrowed as he looks over at Pete. “Our heads are a no-Pete zone tonight. It’s going to be me, Gerard….”

“And a scarlet camisole and black stockings, I know,” Pete says, and then, directly to Mikey. “Your bro’s hot stuff.”

“He is,” Mikey says, and all Gerard can do is grin back in response, because really, it’s true.

________

The side van door open wide, Gerard sits on the step, enjoying the late evening sun. Right now laser firing guards feel a lifetime away, and Gerard sips at his cold coffee, trying not to notice what Mikey and Pete are doing, half-concealed by a dune.

“We should arrange meets at the ocean more often.” Frank’s holding a stick which he drags through the sand, leaving a deep line behind him. Approaching the van he throws the stick to one side and then sits, body pressed close to Gerard’s. “That has to be disgusting by now.”

“It’s coffee,” Gerard says, and takes another sip to show that while the coffee is old and from over an hour before, not drinking it isn’t an option. “How’s your side?”

Frank rolls his eyes and pulls up his t-shirt, exposing a dressing. “It’s fine. Just another scar for the collection.”

“You’ve got too many already.” Truthfully, they all have, and it’s something that weighs heavy. But, despite those worries Gerard won’t stop, he can’t when he’s got a promise to keep. It’s just, it’s _his_ promise, the others can still walk away.

“You’re brooding and none of us is going to leave.” Frank pulls down his t-shirt and rests against Gerard, his mouth turned up into a smile as he adds, “And no, Pete hasn’t contaminated me. I just know you.”

Gerard takes another sip of his coffee, the silence stretching before he eventually says, “I made the promise.”

“Maybe,” Frank says. “But it was Mikey that brought Pete to us in the first place. It was me that patched him up and Ray who hacked into the system. You may have said the words but the promise was made by us all.”

“Okay, you’re right,” Gerard says, giving in to Frank’s logic as he presses a kiss against Frank’s cheek. “But you all should have left when you had the chance.”

“Like Mikey would have ever left you.” Frank stretches up, trying to see Mikey and Pete. “And Pete wouldn’t have left Mikey and I couldn’t have left you or Mikey because both of you fuckers would be dead in a day without me. And Ray, well, I think he has a thing about dashing jewel crews that come with a leader with a saviour complex and a damaged and oversharing experiment escapee.”

“Well, if you put it like that….” As explanations go it’s not far from the truth, and Gerard has to admit to himself, as much as he constantly worries, he’s glad the others have stayed.

“It’s nearly time,” Ray says, appearing from the back of the van, the gleaming stolen stone clutched in his hands. Stepping between Gerard and Frank he jumps to the ground. “And for what it’s worth, Frank’s right. About all of it, even Pete.”

“And I love you, too.” It’s Pete that’s yelling, looking dishevelled as he stands and pulls Mikey to his feet and starts brushing off sand from their clothes.

“No one mentioned love,” Ray shouts back, his expression fond as he watches Pete laugh with Mikey. “Nosy bastard.”

“Mr Nosy Bastard to you,” Pete says, his grin fading as he turns and looks toward the road that’s been deserted for almost an hour. “They’re here.”

Gerard stands, and while he can’t see or hear any vehicle he trusts Pete completely. “Time to get some money and info.”

“Another step on the road.” Frank stands too, side by side with Gerard and Ray, a solid force that’s soon joined by Mikey and Pete. “Maybe this time we’ll get a location.”

“I hope so,” Gerard says, but even if they don’t, they will in the future, Gerard’s sure about that.

It’s why they keep going. Keep stealing and exchanging, all the time getting that little bit closer to the thing that they need.

And one thing Gerard knows, they will find Pete’s friends, and they will free them all, and finally, they will destroy the lab that changed Pete.

That’s a promise Gerard fully intends to keep.


End file.
